Apparatus for drying warp and the like



P. R. ROSE APPARATUS F( )R DRYING WARP AND THE LIKE Filed May 7, 1948 2Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR PAl/L R. Ros:

BY m 1% ATTO N EY$ Feb. 13,

P. R. ROSE APPARATUS FOR DRYING WARP AND THE LIKE Filed May 7, 1948 2Sheets-Sheet 2 Tlqi.

7 92LE i 3( Al 88% 5 /86 I 80 5'8 L30 T 1' 410 105 H INVENOR 1oz /z'iPAUL R. Rose ATTORN EYS Patented Feb. 13, 1951 APPARATUS FOR DRYING WARPAND THE Paul R. Rose, East Orange, N. J., assignor to Bachmann UxbridgeWorsted Corporation, Uxbridge, Mass., a corporation of DelawareApplication May 7, 1948, Serial No. 25,565

4 Claims.

. 1 This invention relates to a drier. An object of the invention is toprovide a drying unit adapted for drying sized webs and the;

like, which will occupy a minimum of space on a mill flOOr and throughwhich a web can be run from rear to front, and which is capable ofcooling rapidly when the travel of the web is stopped for any reason.

Another object of the invention is to provide means for eflicientlyusing a supply of drying air to dry a web of textile material.

Another object of the invention is to provide improved means fordirecting attempering air to and through a web of textile material.

Another object of the invention is to control the stretch of the webwhile it is being dryed and prevent the transfer of size from and to theweb.

Other objects of the invention will be in part obvious or in partpointed out hereinafter.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction,combinations of elements, arrangements of parts, and in the severalsteps and relation and order of each of said steps to one or more of theothers thereof, all as will be pointed out in the following description,and the scope of the application of which will be indicated in thefollowing claims.

The invention will best be understood if the following description isread in connection with the drawings, in which,

Figure 1 is a side elevation, partly in cross section with some partsbroken away;

Figure 2 is a front elevation; and

Figure 3 is a detail of the discharge ports of the headers.

Figure 4 is a detail of a modified form of discharge ports of theheaders.

In the embodiment of the invention disclosed herein'a closed chamber Illis provided into which a web w of textile material is introduced throughthe port l2 in the rear wall and from which the web w is dischargedthrough the air inlet port I4 in the front wall. Before entering closureID the web passes through a sizing bath and rolls, indicated generallyby the numeral l6.

Within closure l is provided an elongated single header having in itsupper surface 22 a series of air ports 80, to be more fully described,and a double header 2! which is substantially V-shaped and has in itsopposite surfaces 28 and 28 respectively a series of ports 80. Header 20extends upwardly from just below entrance port l2 toward the top of thefront wall of closure l0, and header 24 extends downwardly and for- 2wardly from adjacent the inner and narrower end of header 20 with itswider end adjacent the inner end of header 20. Thus the headers 20 and24 are angularly related and so that an initial long reach and aplurality of shorter reaches of the web may be provided in a relativelysmall closure. Two rollers 30 and 3| are provided in spaced relationlongitudinally of header 20, beyond the inner end'of single header 20,and two rollers 32 and 33 are provided in spaced relation longitudinallyof header 24, beyond the narrow end of double header 24, and the web wis led from the sizing bath l6 through entrance port [2 through the longreach to and around rollers 30 and 3| in a path parallel and adjacent tothe upper surface of header 20, and then around rollers 32 and 33 andthrough two shorter reaches parallel to the opposite surfaces of header24. The web is thus divided between the two rollers 30 and 3|, the partpassing over rollers 30 and 32 being separated or spli from the partpassing over rollers 3| and 33 all the way from the sizing bath to thesingle roller 34 which is positioned below the wider end of header 24and receives and reunites the web after it has passed from rollers 32and 33 over the air ports 28. From single roller 34 the web travels backaround roller 35 and out of air inlet port M in the front wall of casingI, thus moving through and counter to the entering stream of air, whichthus serves to cool the web before it leaves casing l0, and thuseliminating the objectionable steam and vapor given off by the sized webon leaving drying units for slashers of the prior art types.

Within closure I0 an air heating chamber 40 is provided communicatingwith a chamber 42 housing air impelleror fan means 44, and having thedischarge port 46 communicating with single header 20. The air isdistributed within header 20 and discharged therefrom as will bedescribed. In the entrance port 48 of chamber 40 there is provided aseries of vanes or dampers d by which the air flow into chamber 40 maybe controlled. The vanes or dampers may be connected to a plunger pcontrolled by a solenoid motor S. These and other dampers and solenoidmotors referred to herein by similar reference characters are notfurther described since they are well known and commercially availableand no claim is made to them per se.

Above the single header 20 a chamber 60 is provided within closure l0,said chamber being open at the bottom and housing the air impeller meansor fan 62 which communicates through be understood that air from singleheader 20,

after passing through web w, rises toward and is directed to chamber 60,where the increment that has passed through the wettest part of the webwill be discharged from closure I through 'air impeller 65 and outletports 66 and the remainder will be impelled through air-heating chamber63 to the double header 24. From the double header 24 air dischargedthrough the two ser.es of ports 26 and 28 flows back, under singleheader 20 to chamber 40 and the above described air flow cycle isrepeated, an increment of the air being discharged from closure I0during each cycle, as has been described; and new air being continuallysupplied into closure l0 through air inlet port l4.

In the front of closure l0, preferabh! substantially on a level withchamber 40, a vestibule I0 is provided in communication with the airexternal to closure l0 through port l4. The inner wall of vestibulecomprises the ports 12 and 14 facing toward the inlet of chamber 40.Lower port 12 is controlled by vanes or dampers d and upper port I4 iscontrolled by vanes or dampers at both conveniently attached to controlplunger p which may be controlled by solenoid s. Dampers d are set atright angles to dampers d so that when one set is fully open the otherset will be fully closed.

Within vestibule III is located a heater I6 disposed so that air passinginto chamber it through the upper port I4 in the inner wall of vestibuleHi will be heated by it. When vanes or dam ers I4 are closed air willpass into chamber I0 through the lower port 12 of the inner wall ofvestibule l0 and will not come into contact with heater I6, and willthus have the temperature of the air external to chamber l0.

Suitable known means may be employed for actuating the web to travel ata plurality of different speeds, as for example at high speed, and atvery low speed known in the trade as at "craw1; for stopping the warpaltogether and for starting and stopping the air impeller means andcontrolling the vanes or dampers controlling the air flow to the airheating means, as for example through suitable electric circuits (notshown). When the web is travelling at full speed inlet port 12 isdesirably closed and ports 14 and 48 open; and heated air continuouslycirculated, and distributed against the web through headers 20 and 24.

When the web is stopped ports 14 and 48 are closed and port 12 is openedcausing air at room temperature to flow through the closure l0 and outexhaust ports 66, by-passing chamber 40, and

4 the web, after which it is adjacent to chamber 40 and enters it to berecirculated. The headers are disposed to facilitate circular flowwithin closure l4 and even distribution of air throughout the width andlength of headers 20 and 24. This even distribution is promoted by thetaper of the headers and the baiile and port means to be described.These means also coact to provide a gentle even flow of air into contactwith the web from along the full length and width of the ported surfacesof the headers.

The air is discharged from headers 20 and 24 through ports which aredisposed along the upper surface of header 20 and along both the upperand lower surfaces of header 24, each port being in the form of a narrowopening extending laterally throughout substantially the full width ofthe header. as shown in Figure 2. Ports 80 are made small enough toinsure that the air in the header will not issue only from a few ofthese ports but-will fill the header and issue from all the ports 80 instreams of substantially equal volume. Each discharge port hasassociated with it a laterally extending baflle 82 extending over theport and bent back at right angles at a distance from the port greaterthan the width of the port. Thus air passing out of a port 80 isdeflected and its direction of flow is reversed and its speed sloweddown. The direction of flow is again reversed when the air is deflectedby the upper surface of the header between the ports, and flows towardthe web w through the space between adjacent bailie members. The spacebetween the front of one baille member and the rear of the adjacentmember is madegreater than that between the port and the bent over endof the baiile so that the speed of theair is again reduced. This doublereversing of the direction of flow and the two stage slowing down of theair flow serves to effectively prevent and reduce turbulence and toequalize air flow across the width of the header even though it may havebeen introduced into the header under irregular distribution so that theair contacts the web with a smooth gentle even flow and does not stretchthe web or cause the individual threads to contact and roll around eachother. When the threads or yarns comprising a web are caused,.afterbeing I treated with a sticky substance such as sizing material, tocontact and cross with other threads or yarns of the web they tend toadhere to one another thus making the subsequent processing of the webextremely diflicult. After the sizing step the web is run through a combor reed before being wound upon a loom beam and when threads or yarnscomprising the web are stuck togetherit becomes very diflicult if notimpossible to run the web through a comb or reed. It is well known thata stream of air delivered from a fan blower varies widely in pressureover diiierent portions of its cross sectional area and from moment tomoment in the same portions, and this pressure and consequent velocityvariations have been heretofore very troublesome. One of thedeflciencies of prior art devices is that in order to prevent the dryingair employed from causing the sized individual threads or yarns of a webto be forced into contact or crossed with one another by pressure andvelocity variations of the drying air and thus stuck together they haveemployed an insufficient volume of drying air to do an emcient job ofdrying. The device disclosed herein, due to its ability to'reduceturbulence and deliver the drying air to the web with a smooth gentleflow, has the important advantage that it may be employed to deliver asufiicient volume of drying air to effect a speedy and uniform drying ofthe web.

As shown in Figures 1 and 3 the ports 80 are defined b the bafllemembers 82 each of which comprises an inner imperforate portion 84defining a header surface, a portion 88 extending substantially at rightangles to portion 84 from one end of portion 84 and defining one side ofa port 80, a portion 86, extending substantially at right angles toportion 84 from the other end of portion 84 and substantially parallelto portion 88 but longer than 88, a portion 80 substantially at rightangles to portion 86 and thus substantially parallel to portion 84 butextending in the opposite direction, and a portion 82 bent back at rightangles to portion 90 and thus substantially parallel to, althoughshorter than, portion 86. The members 82 are arranged in overlappingrelation so that portion 88 of one member and portion 86 of the nextmember define between them a port 80, and the portion 80 connected tosaid portion 86 projects over the port at a distance therefrom. Theadjoining portions 86 and 88 of two baflle members 82 thus define a port80 which is elongated and opens into a channel 84 which is wider thanport 80, preferably on the order of twice the width of port 80. Fromchannel 94 the air, after having been reversed in direction of fiow bystriking against portions 90 and 82, passes into a channel 96, which isof greater area than channel 84 being preferably on the order of fromone-half again to twice as wide as channel 84. From channel 96 the airpasses to the web, after having been again reversed in direction bystriking against portions 84 and 88 of the adjacent member 82.

In Figure 4 a modification of the air port structure is shown comprisingtwo sets of angle members. The angle members I00 are arranged similarly,in spaced relation, their intermediate portions I02 defining a headersurface and their adjacent outwardly extending ends I04 and I06 definingelongated ports I08. Bridging the ports I08 are angle members IIOdisposed with their intermediate portions I I2 extending over the portsrespectively but spaced therefrom a distance on the order of the widthof the ports, and with their end portions H4 and H6 extending inwardlytoward portions I 02, and defining channels I I8 between themselves andthe portions I04 and I06 respectively but spaced from the sides of portsI08 by a distance on the order of the width of the ports I08. Thus eachport I08 discharges into two channels II8 each subtsantially equal inarea to port I08 and together providing a space approximately doublethat of the port I08.

The ports I08 are spaced apart so that the distance between leg II4 ofone angle member H0 and the leg II6 of the adjacent member H0 issubstantially greater than the combined width of the two ports II 8which communicate with each port I08, being preferably twice that ofsaid two ports II 8 combined. The air from each port I08 is thusexpanded and slowed down in passing from ports I08 to ports I I8 as wellas reversed in direction of flow, and the expansion and slowing down isrepeated when the air passes from ports II8 to the spaces I20, and thedirection of fiow of the air is again reversed. The reduction inpressure and slowing down of the air and the changing of its directionof flow cause the air to be delivered to the web in a smooth, gentle andeven flow.

Preferably partition members I2I are pro-26 vided extending at rightangles to the intermediate members I02 of angle members I00 midwaybetween adjacent ports I08. The distance between a partition member I2Iand the leg II4 of member II2 which is on one side, and the distancebetween the partition I2I and the leg II6 of member 2 which is on theother side, is desirably substantially greater than the width of thechannels II8 respectively. As indicated in Figure 4 the partitionmembers may extend outwardly toward the web sufficiently to overlap theadjacent end portions III and H6 respectively of adjoining bridgingangle members H0. The partitions I2l serve to prevent mixing of the airdischarged through channel H8 01' one port with the channel II8 of theadjoining port prior to the time the final direction of flow to the warpis established. Thus in efiect two volume or streams of ,air risethrough the space I20 and are directed toward the Web withoutinterference or cross currents.

Within header 20 means are provided for distributing widthwise andlengthwise of the header the air delivered to it from chamber 42, thuscooperating with ports 80 or I08, said means comprising baiiies I30 andI32. Baflles I30 are disposed along a line substantially parallel withthe top of chamber 40, and bafiies I32 are arranged along a line atright angles to the top of chamber and at the side of the portleadingfrom chamber 40 which is adjacent to the rear end of the header.

Baflles I30 each comprise a base I34, a portion I36 extendingsubstantially at right angles to the base, and an inclined outer endportion I38. The spaces between adjoining bases are ports I38. Theseports I38 have a width equal to substantially half the distance betweenthe middle and the front end portions I36 and I38 respectively of themembers I 30 so that air entering header 20 at high speed and pressureis held back and evenly distributed between ports I38 and is then sloweddown and expanded upon passing into the wider area between portions I36,and at the same time is deflected toward the upper end and middleportions of the header by the inclined outer end portions I38.

Bailles I32 each comprise a base I40, a portion I42 substantially normalto the base, and an outer end portion I44 inclined toward the headerports which are nearest the port I2 through which the web enters closureIII. The spaces between adjoining bases are ports I45 the width of whichis less than, preferably about one-half, the distance between theportions I42, or the portions I44 of adjoining members so that the airin passing into the main portion of header 20 is first restricted byports I45 and then expanded and slowed down upon passing into the widerarea between the portions I42, and I44 respectively of adjoining membersI32, and is then deflected by the end portions I 44 toward the ports 80.

The space in header 20 between chamber 40 and the members I30 and I32 isdivided by partitions I and I52 thus dividing the air flow from chamber40 into three streams directed respectively to the upper end, the middleand the lower end of the header. The partitions cooperate with the meansdescribed above to distribute the air widthwise and lengthwise of theheader and to prevent eddies.

The means described serve to out down the speed of flow of the air afterit enters header 20, and to distribute it evenly so that it isdischarged from all the ports 90 in substantially the same volume, andis spread out and caused to contact the web evenly throughout its lengthand without distorting or stretching the web.

It will thus be seen that there has been provided by this invention amethod and apparatus in which the various objects hereinabove set forthtogether with many thoroughly practical advantages are successfullyachieved. As various possible embodiments might be made of themechanical features of the above invention and as the art hereindescribed might be varied in various parts, all without departing fromthe scope of the invention, it is to be understood that 'all matterhereinbefore set forth or shown in the accompanying drawings is to beinterpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

What I claim is:

l. A drier comprising a closure, a header therein having a number ofports disposed at spaced intervals along a surface thereof, means forleading a web into said closure and along a path ad jacent to andsubstantially parallel with the ported surface of the header, means forproviding a flow of air into and out of the closure and simultaneouslycirculating air within the closure including means for delivering theair under pressure into said header, and means for distributing the airwithin the header and causing it to be discharged from said portssubstantially equally in a non-turbulent flow said means each comprisinga number of parallel connected passages extending alternately inopposite directions, said passages being of successively greater crosssectional area.

2. An air distributing header having a discharge wall comprising aseries of bailles extending laterally thereof, each baflie comprising afirst part defining an imperforate wall member of said header, a secondpart projecting outwardly from said lmperforate part a relatively shortdistance, and a third part projecting outwardly from said imperforatepart a relatively long distance and then substantially parallel to saiddischarge wall and spaced from the outer edge of the said second part ofa neighboring baffle and then inwardly and terminating spaced from saidfirst part, each pair of said baflles defining between them a firstrelatively narrow outwardly extending passage between the outwardlyextending second and third parts respectively of adjacent baflles, asecond passage between the outer edge of the said second part of onebaiile and the said parallel portion of the said third part of theadjacent baflle, a third passage between the adjacent edges of saidsecond part and the inwardly turned portion of the said third part of anadjacent baflle, a fourth passage between the edge of the inwardlyturned portion of said third part of one of said baffles and the firstpart of the other baille, and a fifth passage between the edge of theinwardly turned portion of said third part of one of said bailles andthe outwardly extending portion of the third part of said adjacentbailie, said fifth passage being substantially wider than said firstpassage.

3. The device as claimed in claim 2 in which said second and thirdpassages are of greater area than said first passage, and said fourthand fifth passages are of progressively greater area than said secondand third passages.

4. An air distributing header having a discharge wall comprising aseries of nozzles extending laterally thereof each nozzle comprising afirst part defining an imperforate end wall of said header, second andthird parts projecting from said first part substantially equaldistances, and a fourth part having a central portion extending over andin spaced relation to the outer ends of said second and third partsrespectively and having end portions bent in planes substantiallyparallel with said second and third parts respectively but extendingonly part way back to said first part, and a partition member extendingoutwardly from said first part intermediate the second and third partsrespectively of adjacent nozzles and together with the adjacent portionsof said first part and the proximate end portions of the fourth parts ofsaid nozzles respectively forming elongated air passages substantiallyparallel to the passages provided by said second and third parts.

PAUL R. ROSE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

Germany July 14, 1933

